Skip to main content
Calcimator

Plant Propagation Calculator

Calculate cutting count, mother plant needs, and cost for vegetative plant propagation based on target production and success rate.

Inputs

%
$
$
$

Results

Cuttings to Take

589

Mother Plants Needed

24

Expected Survivors501
Expected Losses88
Trays Needed9
Total Propagation Cost$331.28
Cost per Finished Plant$0.66
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the number of finished rooted plants you need to produce and the expected rooting success rate (%).
  2. Enter cuttings per mother plant per cycle and the cost per mother plant to size your stock plant inventory.
  3. Enter rooting hormone cost per cutting and media/tray cost per 72-cell tray.
  4. Review Cuttings to Take and Mother Plants Needed to plan your propagation bench and stock inventory.
  5. Use Total Propagation Cost and Cost per Finished Plant to evaluate profitability or compare propagation vs. purchasing liners.

How the result changes with Rooting Success Rate

Rooting Success RateCuttings to TakeMother Plants Needed
192,632106
421,19148
6972529
9155022

What each input means

Target Finished Plants
Number of rooted plants you want to produce.
Rooting Success Rate
Expected percentage of cuttings that root successfully.
Cuttings per Mother Plant
Number of cuttings taken from each mother plant per cycle.
Mother Plant Cost
Cost per mother plant.
Rooting Hormone Cost per Cutting
Cost of rooting hormone per cutting.
Media & Tray Cost per Tray
Cost of propagation tray and media (72-cell).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Target Finished Plants = 500, Rooting Success Rate = 85, Cuttings per Mother Plant = 25, Mother Plant Cost = 12 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Cuttings to Take
    Cuttings to Take
    589 = 589
  3. Calculate Mother Plants Needed
    Mother Plants Needed
    24 = 24
  4. Calculate Expected Survivors
    Expected Survivors
    501 = 501
  5. Calculate Expected Losses
    Expected Losses
    88 = 88

The questions that sit next to this one — chosen by subject, including calculators filed under a different category.

More in Agriculture & Farming.